The 120 Best Happiness Quotes

What is it that makes us happy? Millions of people all around the world struggle daily to find an answer to this question. They want to lead a happier life but are not sure how this can be accomplished. To make things even more difficult, happiness often seems to be pretty elusive. Surely, there are many happy and fulfilling days in your life but there may also be the nagging feeling that truly fulfilling happiness somehow seems to evade you. In these situations, it can be quite helpful to read the powerful thoughts on happiness from some of the wisest men and women that ever walked on this earth. Their inspiring words will help you to discover what it really means to be happy. Even further, their inspiring thoughts will encourage you to unearth what it really is that makes you happy. Especially during difficult times, it can be quite helpful to have some inspiring words at hand that encourage you to keep pursuing happiness. These inspiring quotes about happiness can prove to be powerful companionship on your road to happiness. In the following, you can find our hand-picked selection of the 120 best happiness quotes.

A grave mistake that many of us fall prey to is that we make our happiness dependent on external circumstances. We think that the accomplishment of a certain goal (material possessions, wealth, fame, power, academic titles, etc.) can greatly increase our level of happiness. And this may certainly be the case, but not for too long. Once we’ve accomplished these things, we have already started pursuing the next aims.

It doesn’t take much to be happy.

Instead of being able to draw happiness from the present moment, we continuously postpone our happiness to the future. As a result, true happiness can only sparingly be found in the present as we are busily pursuing all the things we believe will finally make us happy.

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”Abraham Lincoln

At the same time, by linking your happiness to something that lies outside of yourself, you will always be dependent on it. Even further, if a certain goal cannot be accomplished, resentment and unhappiness are the likely consequences.

Let’s change that by having a look at what it really means to be happy.

The 120 Best Happiness Quotes

Happiness is a choice. Each day we can choose to be happy. No one is ever going to stop us from being happy. However, many choose to feel miserable. They allow external circumstances to influence their happiness. By finding happiness within, you will gradually liberate yourself from the influence of such external events. If you learn to be happy no matter if you have much or less, you’re beginning to tap into the true source of happiness, which lies within.

1. Guillaume Apollinaire on the pursuit of happiness

„Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.“Guillaume Apollinaire

Happiness cannot be chased. It can only be found at this very moment. By shifting your focus away from the present, you only deprive the present moment of its joy and beauty. If you always chase a vague form of happiness that lies in the future, you may not even realize how much happiness is already present in your life. Even further, if you’re always pursuing happiness, you may not notice the little things in your life that make you happy.

While you’re pursuing your goals, make sure to pause every once in a while – just to appreciate the beauty of the moment. By learning to be thankful for what you already have, you can greatly increase your happiness. At the same time, it will allow you to make your happiness less dependent on the outcome of your actions.

2. Dale Carnegie on the way you think about happiness

„It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.“Dale Carnegie

The way you think can greatly shape many aspects of your life. Your thinking processes can make or break you. How you think can also determine whether or not you are a happy, fulfilled and satisfied person. You can always feel miserable about pretty much everything in your life. At the same time, you also have the chance of thinking positively about your life.

Along with this idea comes the realization that it is not so important what happens to you in life. All that really matters is how you think about what happens and how you respond to it. If you internalize these ideas, nothing that ever happens in your life can impact your long-term happiness.

3. John Lennon on counting happiness

„Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.“John Lennon

Always try to emphasize the positive aspects of your life.

4. Marcus Aurelius on the factor happiness depends on

„The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.“Marcus Aurelius

Positive, encouraging thoughts lead to greater levels of happiness, joy, and fulfillment.

5. Frederick Keonig on getting what we want

„We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.“Frederick Keonig

The number one mistake people make while pursuing happiness is that they believe adding something to their lives will increase their happiness. As a result of this misperception, millions seek to fulfill their numerous dreams, wishes, desires, and material longings. They do this without realizing that the desire for more is insatiable. Consequently, they are never fully satisfied, no matter how much they accomplish. What is even worse, those who do not manage to get the things they desire most will feel great levels of resentment and discontent.

One way to escape from this never-ending rat race is to cultivate gratitude for what you already have in your life. By learning to appreciate all the magnificent aspects of your life, you can gradually increase your happiness. It will help you to center your focus in the present moment and to learn to be happier with less.

6. Nikos Kazantzakis on simple happiness

„I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.“Nikos Kazantzakis

It doesn‘t take much to be happy. The willingness to be happy is perhaps the only prerequisite it takes.

7. Seneca on true happiness

„True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.“Seneca

This is a fantastic summary of what happiness is all about. If you focus on the beauty of the present moment, if you learn to seek happiness within, great contentment and happiness will arise.

8. Henry David Thoreau on chasing happiness

„Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.“Henry David Thoreau

Happiness cannot be forced. It needs to unfold naturally.

9. The Buddha on sharing happiness

„Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.“The Buddha

Just as a candle can easily lit thousands of other candles, so can you spread your happiness without ever diminishing it. In fact, the more you share, the happier you will get.

10. Epictetus on the only way to happiness

„There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will.”Epictetus

There are many things beyond your control. You cannot influence these things, no matter what you do. However, by learning to think differently about these things, you can avoid that they diminish your happiness.

11. Albert Schweitzer on the key to happiness

„Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.“Albert Schweizer

If you travel on the road to success hoping that it will ultimately make you happy, you may be setting yourself up for a great disappointment. Just because a person is successful does not automatically guarantee that they are also happy. However, if you are passionate about what you do, you will not only be a much happier person, but you will also be successful.

12. Groucho Marx on choosing to be happy

„I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.“Groucho Marx

If you focus too much on the past or future, you will deprive the present of its joy. Do not allow regret about what happened in the past and worries about the future to suck the happiness out of you.

13. James Oppenheim on seeking happiness

„The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.“James Oppenheim

You will never be truly happy if you continuously postpone your happiness. It is a grave mistake to make your happiness dependent on the accomplishment of certain goals that lie far in the future. Don’t tell yourself, “First I need to become a millionaire, then I can allow myself to be happy.” Instead, try to be happy at this very moment, no matter if you are rich, influential, educated, or whatever you desire to be.

14. Carlos Castaneda on emphasizing happiness

„The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.“Carlos Castaneda

15. A Chinese proverb on happiness

„If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.“Chinese Proverb

Scientific research confirms that helping other people will make you a happier person. And what better way could there be to become happy than helping other people?

16. Dr. Seuss on realizing that it is over

„Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.“Dr. Seuss

It’s never easy to realize that something has come to an end. However, your life wouldn’t be the way it is today if it had never happened.

17. J.R.R. Tolkien on having priorities

„If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.“J.R.R. Tolkien

Money doesn’t buy happiness. But it is very likely that the pursuit of money negatively affects our happiness. And for some, it even makes them commit horrible crimes.

18. Ralph Waldo Emerson on choosing to be happy

„For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.“Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whenever anger pulsates through your veins, there will be no room for happiness. At the same time, if you are able to maintain a healthy level of happiness, anger, fear, and anxiety can never occupy your mind for too long.

19. Aristotle on taking responsibility

„Happiness depends upon ourselves.“Aristotle

No one else can make you happy but yourself. Even more so, not a single person on this planet is responsible for your happiness. You are not only responsible for your happiness but you are also the only one who can effect beneficial changes towards a happier life.

20. Epicurus on the true key to happiness

„If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.“Epicurus

Not riches, material possessions, and power make you happy. You can have all these things and live a miserable existence being constantly driven by insatiable desires. The less you desire, the happier you’ll be.

21. Eleanor Roosevelt on happiness as a goal

„Happiness is not a goal… it’s a by-product of a life well lived.“Eleanor Roosevelt

If you stop chasing happiness, you may begin to pursue that which makes you really happy.

22. J.M. Barrie on the secret of happiness

„The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.“J.M. Barrie

There could be nothing more important for your happiness than doing what you really like.

23. Kahlil Gibran on the myth of happiness

„Happiness is a myth we seek, if manifested surely irks;
Like river speeding to the plain, on its arrival slows and murks.
For man is happy only in his aspiration to the heights;
When he attains his goal, he cools and longs for other distant flights.“Kahlil Gibran

24. Helen Keller on closing doors

„When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.“Helen Keller

It can be quite painful when you realize that a certain door in your life has closed and will never open again. In these situations, it is important not to allow what happens to impact your long-term happiness. Instead of standing in front of the closed door, complaining that it will never open again, try to see what new opportunities come into your life. If you manage to seize these opportunities, you will quickly forget that a door has closed.

25. Lao Tzu on being content

„If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.“Lao Tzu

Contentment and gratefulness are two essential keys to happiness. If you can appreciate what you have, your happiness will gain independence from external influences. It will also make you realize that you already have everything you need to be happy.

26. Ben Carson on happiness as the result of giving

„Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.“Ben Carson

It is perhaps the greatest misconception to believe that getting more can dramatically increase our happiness. Ironically, quite the contrary is the case. By sharing freely and by giving what we have, happiness can be attained.

27. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross on the most beautiful people

„The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.“Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

It is very curious that those who are the most compassionate and loving are often those who were severely pushed to the ground by life.

28. Marcel Pagnol on the assessment of happiness

„The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.“Marcel Pagnol

It’s a human tendency to see the things of the past in a much brighter light than they actually were. Perhaps it may prove to be a good idea to stop comparing your happiness of the present moment to that which you’ve experienced in the past. These kinds of comparisons are almost always unjust.

29. William Feather on enjoying happiness

„Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.“William Feather

Life can become so hectic and stressful that one totally forgets to pause and to appreciate the joy of the moment. If your thoughts are always centered on the future, you will very likely miss many important opportunities to be happy in the present moment.

30. Mary Stuart on being kind

„To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness.“Mary Stuart

The willingness to treat others kindly and to help them wherever possible can go a long way when it comes to happiness.

31. Fyodor Dostoyevsky on counting your happiness

„Man only likes to count his troubles; he doesn’t calculate his happiness.“Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Have you ever heard of the negativity bias? It is the human brain’s tendency to put more emphasis on negative things, such as unpleasant emotions or thoughts. As a result, negative or troublesome developments in our lives have a much greater effect on our psychological well-being than happy experiences. In short, the negativity bias negatively influences how you perceive and assess your entire life.

By knowing that this kind of bias is in operation, you can begin to take countermeasures towards a more balanced perception of your reality.

32. Martin Luther King, Jr. on searching for happiness

„Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.“Martin Luther King, Jr.

This one sentence basically summarizes everything you will ever need to know about being happy.

33. Steve Maraboli on happiness and problems

„Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.“Steve Maraboli

Many people dream of a life without problems. They think that if there were no problems and challenges, they could live an incredibly happy life. However, a life without problems is not very likely going to happen. So instead of hoping for an absence of problems, learn to be happy despite the difficulties you’re confronted with.

34. Tom Bodett on the three things to be happy

„They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.“Tom Bodett

Simplicity is key to happiness.

35. Henry David Thoreau on the richest person

„That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.“Henry David Thoreau

If you are able to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, you will always be capable of experiencing happiness – no matter if you are wealthy or not.

36. Alan Cohan on being happy with what you have

„Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.“Alan Cohen

Being content with what you have helps you to lay a stable foundation for a joyful and happy life.

37. Maxim Gorky on life’s simple pleasures

„Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.“Maxim Gorky

Unfortunately, we often have to lose something before we begin to realize how precious it was. Cultivating gratitude can help you to avoid these kinds of painful realizations. It will help you to become more attentive to the wonderful things already present in your life.

38. Dennis Whately on acquiring happiness

„Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.“Denis Waitley

If you look at happiness realistically, you will notice that the happiness of the past and expectations about the happiness in the future do not make you any happier.

39. Herman Hasse on the ability to be happy

„Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object.“Herman Hesse

In one way, being happy is a skill that can be learned. It may take some practice, but did that initial effort will eventually pay off.

40. Albert Schweitzer on what happiness is really about

„Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.“Albert Schweitzer

This wonderful happiness quote shows us once more that it doesn’t take much to be happy. But the “ability” to forget negative experiences that happened in the past can certainly help.

41. Seneca on being alarmed

„There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality.“Seneca

Worrying about things that have not even taken place can have a negative impact on your happiness.

42. Andy Rooney on appreciating the simple things

„If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his/her happiness on major events like a great job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time.“Andy Rooney

While it is certainly important to dream big, it is just as important to be able to appreciate the regular – or even mundane – aspects of existence. Without being able to draw happiness from life’s simple pleasures, your pursuit of the big dreams may not prove to be that satisfying.

43. Thich Nhat Hanh on happiness in the present moment

„The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.“Thich Nhat Hanh

The present holds many fantastic opportunities for both simple pleasures and great spikes of happiness. All it takes is the necessary attentiveness to see these opportunities for what they are. Otherwise, they will pass by unnoticed.

44. Arthur Schopenhauer on the enemies of happiness

„The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom.“Arthur Schopenhauer

Pain and boredom, especially in combination, can be detrimental to a person’s happiness.

45. Eleanor Roosevelt on sharing happiness

„Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.“Eleanor Roosevelt

Being less self-centered and more thoughtful of other people’s needs may also play an important role in your long-term happiness.

46. Simone Elkeles on having too high expectations

Having too high expectations and dreaming big may not necessarily be the same. It can certainly be quite helpful if you dare to dream big. At the same time, if you set your expectations about life way too high, you will only be disappointed.

47. Stacey Charter on making happiness dependent on others

„Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that.“Stacey Charter

It is important to realize that no person will ever be able to make you happy if you choose to feel miserable about yourself. Similarly, by making your happiness dependent on other people, you will never be able to liberate yourself from other people’s – more or less unpredictable – actions.

48. L.M. Montgomery on making up your mind

„It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.“L.M. Montgomery

When it comes to enjoying your life and being happy about it, your attitude can prove to play an important role.

49. Franklin D. Roosevelt on the possession of money

„Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.“Franklin D. Roosevelt

50. Daphne du Maurier on happiness is a prized possession

„Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.“Daphne du Maurier

Only by possessing many tangible things, no happiness will ever emerge.

51. Rose Lane on the entrance of happiness into our lives

„Happiness is something that comes into our lives through doors we don’t even remember leaving open.“Rose Lane

52. Jennifer Niven on the small things

„The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it’s the small things that count.“Jennifer Niven

53. Mary Lou Rettom on optimism

„Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.“Mary Lou Retton

54. Ralph Waldo Emerson on the perfume of happiness

„Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting some on yourself.“Ralph Waldo Emerson

55. Albert Camus on understanding happiness

„You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.“Albert Camus

56. Marcel Proust on those who make us happy

„Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.“Marcel Proust

57. Hunter Thompson on deciding who’s happier

„So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?“Hunter S. Thompson

58. Elizabeth Gilbert on fighting for happiness

„Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.“Elizabeth Gilbert

59. Neil Gaiman on missing childhood

„I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.“Neil Gaiman

60. Leo Tolstoy on the things that happiness consists of

„Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation.“Leo Tolstoy

61. Gordon B. Hinckley on being of service to others

„Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others…By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.“Gordon B. Hinckley

62. The Buddha on learning to let go.

„Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.“The Buddha

63. Viktor E. Frankl on the pursuit of happiness

„[…] success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.“Viktor E. Frankl

64. Marcus Aurelius on what is needed for a happy life

„Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.“Marcus Aurelius

65. Margaret Lee Runbeck on happiness as a journey

„Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.“Margaret Lee Runbeck

66. Jodi Picoult on the mathematical formula for happiness

„A mathematical formula for happiness: Reality divided by Expectations.There were two ways to be happy:improve your reality or lower your expectations.“Jodi Picoult

67. Charles Colton on spending one’s life in anticipation

„Men spend their lives in anticipations, in determining to be vastly happy at some period when they have time. But the present time has one advantage over every other – it is our own. Past opportunities are gone, future have not come. We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer the tasting of them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age.“Charles Caleb Colton

68. Dennis Waitely on having plans

„Happy people plan actions, they don’t plan results.“Dennis Waitley

69. Louisa May Alcott on what makes life lovely

„The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.“Louisa May Alcott

70. William James on happiness and action

„Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”William James

71. Thich Nhat Hanh on excitement

„Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.“Thich Nhat Hanh

72. David Allen on having too much to do

„Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.“David Allen

73. Andy Rooney on living on the mountain top

„Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.“Andy Rooney

74. Brian Tracy on the happiest people

„The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life.“Brian Tracy

75. Bob Marley on happy days

„Just because you are happy it does not mean that the day is perfect but that you have looked beyond its imperfections“Bob Marley

76. Helen Keller on true happiness

„True happiness is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.“Helen Keller

77. Anne frank on the remedy for unhappiness

„The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, then there will be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.“Anne Frank

78. Ayn Rand happiness as a means to an end

„My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.“Ayn Rand

79. Dalai Lama on recognizing an important fact

„We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.“Dalai Lama

80. Tom Brady on blaming others

„Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations.“Tom Brady

81. Elizabeth Gilbert on happiness as a stroke of luck

„People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.“Elizabeth Gilbert

82. Alex Flinn on the precious things in life

„Those who do not know how to see the precious things in life will never be happy.“Alex Flinn

83. Susan Polis Schutz on controlling your life

„Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.“Susan Polis Schutz

84. Winnie the Pooh on doing nothing

„Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.“Winnie the Pooh

85. Oscar Wilde on the people that cause happiness

86. Ashley Montagu on the moments of happiness

„The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.“Ashley Montagu

87. Benjamin Franklin on being happy

„There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means – either may do – the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.“Benjamin Franklin

88. Helen Keller on having what you want

„Happiness is not having what you want. It is appreciating what you have.“Helen Keller

89. Carl Jung on darkness and sadness

„Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.“Carl Jung

90. Audrey Hepburn on enjoying life

„The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.“Audrey Hepburn

91. Epicurus on developing courage

„You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.“Epicurus

92. St. Augustine on striving to be happy

„Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible.“St. Augustine

93. Gandhi on harmony

„Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.“Mahatma Gandhi

94. Alan Cohan on knowing what brings joy

„You cannot judge what should bring others joy, and others cannot judge what should bring you joy.“Alan Cohen

95. Winston Churchill on worrying too much

„When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.“Winston Churchill

96. Martha Washington on our dispositions

„The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.“Martha Washington

97. Charles Dickens on identifying present blessings

„Reflect upon you present blessings, of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.“Charles Dickens

98. Douglas Adams on small green pieces of paper

„This planet has – or rather had – a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.“Douglas Adams

99. Andrew Carnegie on the desire to be happy

„If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.“Andrew Carnegie

100. Marcus Aurelius on thinking of what you have

„Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.“Marcus Aurelius

101. Edith Wharton on having a good time

„If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.“Edith Wharton

102. Ann Brashares on the size of happiness

„Maybe happiness didn’t have to be about the big, sweeping circumstances, about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures.“Ann Brashares

103. Chuck Palahniuk on true happiness

„The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.“Chuck Palahniuk

104. Ernest Hemingway on happiness in intelligent people

„Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.“Ernest Hemingway

105. Bill Walton on success at the highest level

„Success at the highest level comes down to one question: Can you decide that your happiness can come from someone else’s success?“Bill Walton

106. Sam Rosen on money

107. John Lubbock on art

„Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.“John Lubbock

108. Lucille Ball on identifying what makes you happy

„It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.“Lucille Ball

109. Charlotte Brontë on sharing happiness

„Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.“Charlotte Brontë

110. Dr. Robert Anthony on being miserable

„Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy.“Dr. Robert Anthony

111. J. Petit Senn on finding happiness

„Happiness is where we find it, but very rarely where we seek it.“J. Petit Senn

112. Joseph Addison on true happiness

„True happiness… arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self.“Joseph Addison

113. Albert Clarke on gratefulness

„In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.“Albert Clarke

114. Samuel Coleridge on the happiness of life

„The happiness of life is made up of the little charities of a kiss or smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment.“Samuel Taylor Coleridge

115. Albert Einstein on what it takes to be happy

„A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?“Albert Einstein

116. Aesop on deriving happiness

„The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others.“Aesop

117. George Burns on having a family

„Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.“George Burns

118. Leo Tolstoy on being happy

„If you want to be happy, be.”Leo Tolstoy

119. Richart Bach on paying for a happy moment

„The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.”Richard Bach

120. Childs Spurgeon on what it is that makes happiness

„It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.”Charles Spurgeon

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Steve is the founder of Planet of Success, the #1 choice when it comes to motivation, self-growth and empowerment. This world does not need followers. What it needs is people who stand in their own sovereignty. Join us in the quest to live life to the fullest!

2 Comments

Awesome posts, too many quotes to read and fully remember but this one stood out to me:

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
– The Buddha

I think we can all take away a lot from this one quote alone. It’s that happiness can, should, and needs to be shared. Be selfishly selfless and share your happiness with others and you will see it return back (good karma)! I know it’s a simple quote to understand, but it’s one I think should be re-read again by those who read this post.

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